Magnetic Poles Shifting: History, Current State, and Implications

written by: jiqx07•edited by: Rebecca Scudder•updated: 7/26/2010

Magnetic poles shifting is a hypothesis there is a rapid change in the geographic location of the earth poles. Earth rotates on its axis of rotation approximately once in every 24 hours. The hypothesis says a rapid magnetic poles shifting has been underway, and will drastically change the earth

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The Cause of Magnetic Poles Shifting

To this day, scientists cannot agree on what causes or will cause the magnetic poles to shift. There are two leading theories regarding to the cause. First, the weakening or possible vanishing of geomagnetic fields within the earth could change the orientation of the earth's magnetic poles, thus resulting in their shifting. Second, external sources such as the sun could influence the earth geomagnetic field. While it has never been proved as happening on earth, the orientation of the magnetic poles on Jupiter and Saturn has shifted due to sun spot and solar wing activities.

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The History of Magnetic Poles Shifting

Magnetic poles shifting has a very controversial history. The term “magnetic poles shifting” was believed to be coined by Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, who interpreted ancient Mexican myth. After that, magnetic poles shifting was not covered extensively until the late 1940s to early 1950s. A number of scientists, including Hugh Auchincloss Brown, Immanual Velikovsky, and Charles Hapgood proposed various possible scenarios of magnetic poles shifting, although none of them was able to produce a satisfactory explanation. From 1970s to present, there have been many non-fiction and fiction books and movies that are either focused on this subject or use the theme magnetic poles shifting as a central plot. This movement propelled the subject of magnetic poles shifting their orientation to its current popularized state.

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The Current State of Magnetic Poles Shifting

Currently, there are a number of published books that talk about magnetic pole shifting, including Coming Earth Changes: Causes and Consequences of the Approaching Pole Shift and Earth's Catastrophic Past and Future: A Scientific Analysis of Information Channeled by Edgar Cayce. Both of these books talk about possible mechanisms that involve time and impact of the magnetic pole shift.

A number of scientific studies have validated that magnetic poles shift to a certain degree. Scientists now agree that minor shifting, also known as true polar wander, has occurred at a rate of less than 1o per millions of years, and has in fact occurred before. The result of this, also known as true polar wander, may surprise most of us. Often, there are only mild disturbances to landscape and environment due to true polar wander. Furthermore, scientists believe that the early estimation of the effects on the earth of pole shifting is certainly overblown.

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The Implications

While the effects of magnetic poles shifting may not be as dramatic as portrayed in the books and movies, it could affect the earth in a way that is noticeable to us. A shift in a magnetic pole would cause the earth to slowly redistribute its mass and rebalance its inertia tension. This could result in changes to the glacial movements and earth crust redistribution all over the world. A slow redistribution of the earth's mantle should also be expected while magnetic poles shift.